Lana sat at the edge of the couch, kicking her small legs, clutching the bowl of soup like it was treasure.
"Mom, hurry! We have to go to Clark's house," she urged again. She had been restless ever since the teacher said Clark wouldn't be coming to school—something about a bad fever. The thought of him lying sick in bed made her chest hurt in a way she didn't really understand.
She had begged her mom to make chicken soup and promised she would spoon-feed him herself if he was too weak. Clark needed to get better fast—school was boring without him.
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Meanwhile, out in the fields, I was in the middle of meditating when I picked up the rumble of a car heading toward the farm. A quick peek with my x-ray vision confirmed it—Lana and her mom. And judging by Lana's little worried face, I instantly knew what had happened.
I bolted back inside, told Mom they were here, then dove under a blanket in record time. By the time they reached my room, I was playing the part of sick kid like a pro.
It was almost night when they left. During the visit, Lana made me drink the soup, kept chatting non-stop about how boring school was without me, and even declared she would have to learn to make soup herself "for next time."
I didn't feel guilty. Not even close. I just felt happy—this new life was already proving how wonderful it could be. She was only five, yet she cared so damn much about me!
Of course, her daily visits after that cut into my training time. But progress was still happening. My powers were sharpening fast, and something else was happening too—my memory was getting ridiculously good. Kryptonians were supposed to be an advanced species, so maybe it wasn't that shocking, but I could feel my brain turning into a supercomputer.
We didn't even own a computer at home, so the library became my only source of outside knowledge. After morning meditation, I would stroll down there and hunt for whatever had been bugging me. Man, I missed just Googling stuff on my phone.
How did I realize my memory was almost eidetic? Simple. After using x-ray on Lana's mom one day, the… let's just say curves replayed in my head in such detail that it wasn't just a memory—it was like a perfect 3D scan etched into my brain. Forever. So yeah, my memory banks were officially online.
From then on, I used my x-ray vision as much as possible. On the ground, toward town, up at the sky, on myself, on Mom, on Lana's mom… pushing it further, smaller, longer, testing the limits. When the headaches hit, I would swap back to meditation. Then I would work on my hearing until my skull felt like it might split. Rinse and repeat.
X-ray vision came easier. Super hearing took more time. But on the fifth day, I discovered something new—something I could only describe as "marking."
That's really what it felt like. Once I marked Mom, even with my eyes closed, I could sense her presence—hear her if I wanted to, as though a thread was tied between us. I had to be within range for clarity, of course, but the most striking part was her heartbeat. I could pick it out instantly, especially when it changed.
The first time it happened, I was outside in the fields after dinner when I felt her heartbeat spike. I nearly rushed back in, only to see through the walls that she and Dad were just watching a horror movie. The on-screen screams echoed, her pulse racing right along with it. Honestly, the movie looked terrible—but they were completely hooked. For a moment, I considered sneaking in to scare them, but curiosity about this new ability kept me still.
The next day, after more trial and error, I managed to mark Dad as well. It didn't feel scientific at all—but then again, even my flight wasn't exactly scientific either. Superman's powers had always been closer to magic than physics. Maybe I was sensing something like aura, or life force, or maybe it really was just the rhythm of their hearts. Either way, if I focused, I could reach out and know where they were.
But I quickly realized this didn't work with everyone. I tried marking Lana and her mom, and while I could catch Lana's heartbeat once she was home, with her mom all I got was a vague sense of direction. No clear connection. Maybe it depended on how strongly I felt about them… or maybe my powers just weren't strong enough yet.
Still, five days. That's all it took to wrestle my x-ray vision and hearing into control. And that was with constant interruptions and less practice time than I wanted.
I couldn't help but smile.
I should give this a name.
My Super Training!